Federer set to shake off rust at Indian Wells tennis

INDIAN WELLS, California (AFP) – Roger Federer will shake off the rust following a six-week break from competition by playing in the ATP and WTA Indian Wells tournament which begins on Wednesday.

The world number two's last competition was the Australian Open final on February 1, which featured a teary trophy ceremony as the Swiss lost to Rafael Nadal.

Federer, who has 13 grand slam titles just one behind the all-time record of 14 held by Pete Sampras, is keen to kick start his spring season.

And he appears to be finally lining up another world-class coach in former Andre Agassi mentor Darren Cahill, who has been working with him over the last week in Dubai.

Federer has lifted three trophies on the trot in the Californian desert, the last in 2006, Since then, rivals Novak Djokovic and Nadal have taken the honours at the Tennis Garden.

The 27-year-old Swiss missed last weekend's Davis Cup due to a sore back. Switzerland was beaten by the US 4-1.

But his physio Pierre Pagannini says Federer will be ready for a month-long run of US hardcourt play in California and Florida.

The Indian Wells women's main draw begins Wednesday while the men start action on Thursday.

Top seed Nadal will defend his desert trophy after leading Spain into the Davis Cup quarter-finals over Djokovic's Serbia.

The Spaniard joined Federer in missing Dubai last month, but showed devastating touch at the weekend. "My game felt much more secure," Nadal said. Third seed Djokovic comes to the Tennis Garden wondering what went wrong after losing both of his Davis matches.

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Report: Substances found on Clemens materials

NEW YORK – Federal authorities have found performance-enhancing substances on the materials Brian McNamee said he used to inject Roger Clemens, The New York Times reported Tuesday. McNamee turned over the syringes, vials and gauze pads to federal investigators last year, after he told baseball investigator George Mitchell he injected the pitcher with steroids and human growth hormone.

The Washington Post reported Feb. 6 that tests linked Clemens' DNA to blood in the syringes given to investigators by McNamee.

Clemens has said repeatedly that McNamee, his former personal trainer, injected him with B-12 and the painkiller lidocaine.

"I assumed, and I am not surprised, that the tests were positive for both DNA and for performance-enhancing drugs, because that's what Brian said all along, and there's not much doubt that Brian's been telling the truth," McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery, told The Associated Press. "The confirmation of that fact, once again, just seems to me to be another significant step towards jail for Clemens."

A federal grand jury in Washington is investigating whether Clemens lied when he told a congressional committee last year that he didn't use illegal performance-enhancing substances. McNamee, testifying before the same committee, said he repeatedly injected Clemens with steroids and HGH.

Rusty Hardin, Clemens' lawyer, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

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Vick's former home fails to sell at auction

BUFORD, Ga. – Michael Vick's house is still available.

No one made an offer on the luxury home in suburban Atlanta at an auction Tuesday. A minimum bid of $3.2 million was required, but only two parties showed up and neither brought the $160,000 payment that was needed just to start the auction.

Sterling Realty Services president Narender Reddy said there is no market for the eight-bedroom, 11-bath home at that price in light of the economy. The whole process lasted less than an hour. Now, a bankruptcy judge must decide the next step for Vick's house.

The former star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons is serving a nearly two-year sentence after pleading guilty to running a dogfighting ring.

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Antagonizing Shaq comes with the job

When Stan Van Gundy called out Shaquille O’Neal for flopping, he understood the consequences. Perhaps, he welcomed them. Shaq would rip him and rip him hard. He’d get personal. The Orlando Magic coach knew Shaq would eviscerate him and leave him looking like the fool.

So yes, O’Neal responded on Wednesday, calling Van Gundy a “nobody,” a “frontrunner” and a “master of panic” in the playoffs. Yes, Stan Van Gundy knew how Shaquille O’Neal felt about him and he still leaned into a high inside fastball.

“He definitely knew that Shaq doesn’t care for him,” said a coach who has worked with Van Gundy. “He also knows that Shaq does this to every coach he’s ever played for. At least Shaq did it out in the open this time and not behind Stan’s back. That’s what he did when he played in Miami for him.

“I mean, Shaq ripped Pat Riley and Phil Jackson after he was done playing for them. That’s what he does.”

As Van Gundy volunteered his critique of Shaq’s flopping after the Magic’s victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the source of his motivation wasn’t his old Miami Heat center. It was Dwight Howard, his guy.

Van Gundy had listened to Shaq’s relentless ripping of his young center, and decided to make himself the easy target for O’Neal. He’d take the hit. Shaq has been obsessed with Howard. He hates that Howard’s a young center in the city where O’Neal started out in the league, and hates that Howard wears a Superman cape, and hates that, well, Howard’s the next big thing.

So, yes, O’Neal’s been cruel in his dismissals of Howard. Perhaps Van Gundy started to see that it wore on Howard, that it had gone beyond comical to uncomfortable. Howard’s a nice kid and he won’t fight back.

“I respect my elders,” Howard said Tuesday, refusing again to return fire on O’Neal. He was half-joking, but make no mistake: Howard has never been sure what to do with Shaq’s animus. He isn’t sure what he did to make O’Neal so angry with him.

Howard’s a hard kid to dislike, but Shaq has gone to needless lengths with his criticisms. Van Gundy had to stand up for Howard. That’s his job to protect his young star and he did it. Now, it’s no longer Shaq vs. Howard. It’s Shaq vs. Van Gundy.

“One thing I really despise is a frontrunner,” O’Neal said Wednesday. “I know for a fact he’s a master of panic and when it gets time for his team to go into the postseason and do certain things, he will let them down because of his panic. I’ve been there before. I’ve played for him.”

Van Gundy did a terrific job in Miami, but his authority was compromised the moment Riley made that move for O’Neal. Riles wanted to coach again, and Van Gundy knew it. The Heat emperor made it clear to O’Neal that he reported to him, never Van Gundy. Shaq has always sold himself as the dutiful son of a military man, but he’s seldom respected authority. Eventually, he undermines everyone.

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Yankees think A-Rod can avoid having hip surgery

TAMPA, Fla. – Alex Rodriguez has a torn labrum in his right hip, but the New York Yankees think he can avoid surgery. A cyst in the hip was drained Wednesday, and the third baseman will miss the World Baseball Classic. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that if surgery is needed, Rodriguez would be sidelined for four months.

"If at some point it's not working and it's a problem, then the other one becomes more of a choice," Cashman said Thursday. "Right now, the route we're going is conservative."

Cashman said that if Rodriguez is able to play, the three-time AL MVP might have offseason surgery to repair the labrum tear. Cashman said Rodriguez's preference was to try rest and treatment first.

"We're collectively trying to figure out what is best to do," Cashman said. "We don't want to rush into it. We want to digest it."

Cashman said the team hopes the cyst was the cause of stiffness that had bothered the 12-time All-Star and caused him to see a specialist, Dr. Marc Philippon, in Vail, Colo.

Earlier on Thursday, ESPNdeportes.com reported that Rodriguez's brother, Joe Dunand, said the slugger was going to have surgery with a projected 10-week recovery time.

"I spoke with Alex and his doctor and Cash today, and we're speaking again this afternoon," Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, said in Phoenix. "Obviously, he is concerned. He was playing really well, but it's obviously been a difficult few days for him."

The injury is the latest setback for baseball's highest-paid and perhaps best player, who last month admitted using banned drugs while playing for Texas from 2001-3. And it potentially leaves a huge hole in the lineup for the Yankees, trying to rebound after missing the playoffs last season following 13 consecutive appearances.

Last year, Rodriguez was sidelined from April 28 to May 20 because of a strained right quadriceps — his fifth career trip to the disabled list.

His 138 games were his fewest since 1999, when he tore the medial meniscus in his left knee during a spring training agility drill on March 30. He played in the first two games of that season with Seattle, then was put on the disabled list April 7 and missed 32 games until he returned May 14.

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Cowboys release star WR Terrell Owens

IRVING, Texas – Jerry Jones made it clear, both in action and words: Getting rid of Terrell Owens means a fresh start for the Dallas Cowboys.

T.O. was released Thursday, ending a three-year run that produced as many big headlines as big plays. Many of those headlines were about ego and attitude, and Jones has decided enough is enough. He wants the focus on winning, something the Cowboys haven't done in the playoffs since 1996.

"In the aftermath of the season, we talked about change," Jones said in a statement. "Some of what is changing involves the process and some of it involves people. This is a decision that was made based upon consideration for an entire team.

"We will move on now with a new team — a new attitude — and into a new stadium. The evaluation process and the prospect for change will continue at every level of the organization."

Owens released a statement on his Web site thanking Jones, coach Wade Phillips and the organization "for the opportunity to be a member of the team for the past three years."

"A big thanks to the fans — you've been awesome! I look forward to the upcoming season and continuing to play in the NFL," Owens added.

Owens caught more touchdown passes than any NFL receiver over the last three years and was a big part of Tony Romo's emergence from an unknown backup to a starlet-dating Pro Bowl quarterback with a $67 million contract.

Yet the Cowboys went 0-for-2 in the playoffs with Owens, and didn't even make it this past season. Dallas' late-season collapse — capped by a lackluster effort in a win-and-you're-in finale in Philadelphia — emphasized that a new approach was needed.

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Gooden commits to sign with Spurs

Forward Drew Gooden has committed to sign with the San Antonio Spurs after he clears waivers Wednesday morning, two league executives said Tuesday evening.

Gooden was released by the Sacramento Kings late Sunday, making him eligible to play for another team during the playoffs. The Spurs expect to sign Gooden for about $1.5 million, the remainder of their midlevel exception. The contract keeps the team below the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold.

Gooden’s imminent signing also comes as the Cleveland Cavaliers have reached agreement with forward Joe Smith, an Eastern Conference executive said.

Gooden averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 31 games with the Chicago Bulls before he was traded to the Kings on Feb. 18. The Kings reached a buyout agreement with Gooden that saved the franchise about $1.8 million.

Gooden recently has battled a groin injury, but the Spurs are comfortable with giving him as much time as needed to heal in hopes he’ll be ready for the playoffs.

Spurs officials, who have looked for frontcourt help and tried to trade for Los Angeles Clippers center Marcus Camby, envision Gooden as a backup to Matt Bonner.

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